| Mango tilapia | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Perciformes |
| Family: | Cichlidae |
| Genus: | Sarotherodon |
| Species: | S. galilaeus |
| Binomial name | |
| Sarotherodon galilaeus (Linnaeus, 1758) |
|
The mango tilapia (Sarotherodon galilaeus) is a species of fish from the cichlid family. The nominate subspecies is a relatively large cichlid at up to 41 centimetres (16 in) in length and about 1.6 kilograms (3.5 lb) in weight,[1] but its remaining subspecies are not known to surpass 13–16 centimetres (5.1–6.3 in) in length.[2][3][4][5]
The widespread nominate subspecies is found in lakes, rivers and other fresh or brackish habitats in northern and central Africa, ranging as far south as the Guinea region, the Congo River Basin and Ethiopia. Outside Africa it is found in Syria, Jordan and Israel.[1] It is one of the very few cichlids that is found in Africa north of the Sahara and in Asia. The typical temperature range is 22–28 °C (72–82 °F), but it has been recorded from waters as cold as 9 °C (48 °F).[1] The remaining subspecies have much smaller distributions: S. g. borkuanus is found in Saharan oases in northern Chad,[2] S. g. boulengeri is found in the lower and middle Congo River,[3] S. g. multifasciatus is found in rivers in Côte d'Ivoire and western Ghana,[4] and S. g. sanagaensis is found in the Sanaga River in Cameroon.[5]
It is a bi-parental mouthbrooder. The mating strategies can vary. Both uni-parent and bi-parent mouthbrooding is used, and monogamous or polygamous behaviour.[6]